PA Gun Owners

3 yrs

7mm-08 Remington

The 7mm-08 Remington is a rifle cartridge that is almost a direct copy of a wildcat cartridge developed around 1958 known as the 7mm/308. As these names would suggest, it is the .308 Winchester case necked down to accept 7mm (.284) bullets with a small increase in case length. Of cartridges based upon the .308, it is the second most popular behind only the .243 Winchester. However, the .308 is more popular than both. In 1980, the Remington Arms company popularized the cartridge by applying its own name and offering it as a chambering for their Model 788 and Model 700 rifles, along with a limited-run series within their Model 7600 pump-action rifles during the early 2000s. The popularity of the cartridge means there is a fairly wide selection of factory loads, making it a choice even for those who do not handload. Bullets weighing from 100 to 195 grains are available. Bullets in the 130-150 grain range will suit most hunting applications while long range shooters will opt for the heavier bullets to take advantage of their higher ballistic coefficients. Depending on construction, bullets of 154 to 195gr can also be used in loads suitable for medium and larger game or target purposes. Medium burning rifle powders usually work best in the 7mm-08.

With the wide range of bullet weights available, the 7mm-08 is suitable for "varminting, game-hunting, Metallic Silhouette, and long-range shooting." It is also suitable for plains game." For long-range target and metallic silhouette shooting, the "plastic-tipped 162-grain A-Max has proven to be very accurate with a 0.625 BC (G1). This A-Max bullet, and the 150-grain Sierra Match King, are popular with silhouette shooters." The 7mm-08 Remington works in most hunting environments, including dense forest areas and large open fields. It has a flatter trajectory than the .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield at similar bullet weights because the slightly smaller-diameter 7mm bullet generally has a better ballistic coefficient (BC), and is thus less affected by drag and crosswind while in flight. Its trajectory is comparable to the .270 Winchester. Its recoil is a bit more than a .243 Win. and less than most loads in a .308 Win. This mild recoil makes it suitable for youth and adults who are new shooters; however, the cartridge serves experienced shooters and hunters equally well. The 7mm-08, with appropriate loads, meets the required standard for moose hunting in Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Such loads allow it, for that purpose, to be compared favourably with the 6.5×55mm, 7×57mm, 7×57mmR, 300 Savage, 303 British, and some .308 Winchester and .270 Winchester loads. With appropriately constructed bullets, the cartridge is usable on elk, black bears and hogs.

The 7mm-08 invites a ballistic comparison with the veteran, highly esteemed 7×57mm Mauser. American rifle handloading writers such as Ken Waters, Frank B. Petrini, John Wootters, Clay Harvey, Bob Milek, and John Barsness vary on which cartridge generates higher velocities with top handloads in modern rifles with equal barrel lengths. Any significant difference perhaps reflects more variations among individual rifles than a clear winner between two quite similar cartridges. Layne Simpson, a handloading gun writer who has worked with the 7mm-08 since 1979, considers it and the 7×57mm as ballistic equals. John Barsness has said more recently that the handloaded performance of the 7mm-08 and 7×57mm is "identical." One assessment seems curious: while Norma Precision says that the shorter-cased 7mm-08 loses 100–150 ft/s to the 7×57mm, its own reloading information does not confirm this gap. Its comparison with the 270 Win. is complicated. Clay Harvey, for instance, says the 7mm-08 is "definitely inferior ballistically." Remington Arms has its 140 grain load producing 2,960 ft/s which is better than the 2,860 ft/s produced by the 140-grain 7mm-08 load. The complicating factor is that, according to Edward A. Matunas, the .270 Win. "is not well served by factory ammunition. Velocities often vary widely and frequently are well below advertised levels." An example: Remington's own ballistic tables lists its only 150-grain 270 Win. loading, a Soft Point Core-Lokt (not a Pointed Soft Point Core-Lokt), as having a MV of 2,850 ft/s and retaining 1,587 fpe at 200 yards. A 7mm-08 load with a more efficient 150-grain Nosler Partition at 2,700 ft/s MV retains 1,790 fpe at 200 yards and 1,525 fpe at 300. Careful handloading with a bullet of higher BC should restore the gain the 270 Win. brings through its larger case. John Barsness says, however, that his wife Eileen has "recently discovered that the 7mm-08 kicks noticeably less than her old favorite the .270 WCF with similar results in the field."

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